1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coin telephone collection box which can be adapted to standard coin telephone collection covers for a secure and reliable operation of the coin collection in coin telephone systems.
2. Brief Description of the Background of the Invention Including Prior Art
Coin-operated telephones are known for numerous years and these devices include a coin collection box.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,321,156 to H. M. Smeby teaches a telephone coin box and holder. The reference teaches that a holder 10 is provided for the coin box, where the holder 10 may be insulated from the box by means of insulating strips 13. It appears from the description that this telephone coin box does not meet present-day security and collection requirements.
The basic construction of conventional coin collection boxes by American Telephone and Telegraph Co. is based on established standards that most coin boxes are required to meet. These standards include length, width, and height, handle location, and interface with an industry standard cover design. These conventional coin boxes suffer from expensive manufacturing conditions of the formed metal parts and they exhibit a limited stability to problems which can arise during the handling of such coin boxes.
The existence of such American Telephone and Telegraph Co. coin boxes provides a standard for the dimensions of coin boxes and any new coin box would be required to meet these standards and, furthermore, to accept the standard coin box top in a useable manner. Thus, a duplication of the interface of an existing metal box construction with the existing top cover construction would be required.
The cover for such coin boxes generally includes a bracket which is set. The bracket is set in the open box upon insertion into the telephone. A lever opens an opening for allowing coins to fall through the cover into the box. Upon removal from the telephone, the lever closes the hole and locks.
Conventional coin boxes require that the catch for the pad lock has to be riveted in at additional cost.
The cover for the coil box has to be capable of being removed by a one-hand snapping action. Furthermore, a smooth closing is required.